Breaks my heart...

I apologize for not posting last Friday, but we all need a little vacation, don't we?

The Family Bingo Night I was co-responsible at our Church turned out fairly well and I turned out fairly exhausted...

As you may have read previously, we have food allergies in my family.  My cat was the first- she became allergic to chicken, and then duck and beef.  My son started out with peas and cashews and had a difficult time over about a year finding out what he was reacting to, but we found out it was beans.  He seemed to react more at school and really enjoyed black beans with us when we ate Mexican food, especially at our favorite restaurant, so it was a little bit of a conundrum to figure out.  He used to love his black beans.  It's the only vegetable post-babyfood I recall him loving.

Just as I've been feeling more comfortable with his allergy and keeping him safe because of it becoming a new "normal" and he's of the age where he is aware of it and is now asking friends and waitstaff about that's in his food, a change has happened.  Recently, either because he's seen people having beans, or he's heard us talking about them, he said longingly to me, "I want to eat black beans again- I misssss them!"  I didn't realize he still remembers having black beans and that he loved them that much.  I gave him hope, which is not unfounded, that maybe, as he grows up, he might grow out of that allergy.  I can sense my four year old's sadness over not being able to eat a food that almost everyone else can.

I have a food sensitivity, so I'm trying to avoid food.  My cat has a food allergy and get's sick and a skin infection if she gets her allergen.  My son has to worry about epi-pens, anaphylaxis and how far away a hospital is when he is eating unfamiliar food.  I think a lot of people get food allergy and food sensitivity mixed up.  Seeing my son deal with his food allergy reminds me that even though I need to avoid gluten, dairy and eggs (which seems like everything good to me), my son has a tougher road.  He not only has to avoid food, he has to worry about the serious harm it could cause him.  I also notice another thing now and that is the social awareness that all his friends and even cousins get to enjoy food he can't have, and he is alone in this.  I told my son, "see- mommy didn't have dessert, you are not alone."  I think he knows though- Mommy didn't have dessert because that was a choice she made- he doesn't get a choice.

So as people talk about food allergies and epi-pens, for those of you out there who think it's over-reacting or just means you have to carry an epi-pen, think of all the social ramifications.  Whether it's a movie (such as Peter Rabbit) who makes a food allergy into a joke, or people who think, "well, there's only a small amount of this allergen, so that should make the food ok," or "what if we just pick the allergen off the top."  My son has reminded me to be a more sensitive person, and maybe he will remind others to as well.